AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES 339 



constitutes wealth. . . . The art of agriculture is 

 the parent and precursor of arts, and its products 

 the foundation of all wealth." The Grange exists to 

 promote knowledge of these natural laws that under- 

 lie production and to strengthen and encourage its 

 membership through their mutual association. Aside 

 from the social and educational aspect o'f its work, 

 the Grange in Michigan has promoted cooperative 

 marketing through its local and central organizations, 

 and has also seen established under its a?gis several 

 farmers' mutual fire insurance companies, and has 

 directly fostered the organization of a life insurance 

 company, whose insurance in force, December 31, 

 19-20, amounted to $11,382,405.56. One-half the 

 number of policy holders are farmers. Its annual 

 meetings afford the State Grange an opportunity 

 for formulating and espousing policies with reference 

 to taxation, marketing, education and production in 

 which the farmers of the State are presumed to be 

 especially interested. The State Grange has thus 

 taken favorable action in relation to a State income 

 tax and a tonnage tax for mines, favored acts in aid 

 of agricultural education both locally and at the 

 Michigan Agricultural College, promoted prohibi- 

 tion and women's suffrage and, at one time, a State 

 warehouse for marketing farm products. 



By no means all the farmers or all farming com- 

 munities of the State are affiliated with the Grange. 

 The 638 subordinate granges of Michigan in 1920 

 had 41,567 members, enrolled as reported by the 

 secretary. Nor is membership uniformly distributed 



